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Etching technique consisting of intaglio and chine -colle enabled me to express and evoke a feeling of mystery and the sense of the sublime when confronted with the age of rocks and their significance. When in Dales Gorge in Karijini National Park I felt awed by the depth of the rock-forming steep gorge. On the gorge floor strata within the rocks alternate from pink brown and red purple. This layering caused by oxidation of the iron laden ocean when oxygen produced from stromatolites photosynthesis gradually entered the Earth’s atmosphere. The striped pattern built up from the ocean floor as early as three billion years ago. Water cut through the gorge over millions of years as land gradually uplifted.

Several etchings are artist’s proof and require fine tuning before I print an edition. I print small editions because I prefer to change the plate and produce one off images because it enables me to see the subject in many different ways.

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My expectation and anticipation yesterday as I quickly drove to the beach was to capture the image of the rising sun seen through a colourful and gradual burnt off low cloud and sea mist. I was sure that if I hurried along the edge of Point Roadknight toward the point I would arrive at the rock edge as the sun rose. Not this time.

As the minutes passed not a glimmer of light or faint glow could be conjured from an opaque wall of cloud.

View from the beach

Cloud at Point Roadknight

Cloud at Point Roadknight

Return to the beach

I thought it a wasted effort and with rising tide I returned to the beach, however the rock profile in the foreground echoed the misty distance. When I momentarily glanced back I noticed how at the same time cloudy mist obscured and revealed different aspects of the rock formation.

Rising tide

Rising tide and thicker cloud

White line of foam flows over reflection

Illusion of merged tide line and foggy cloud veil-like appearance

About to leave when the sun made a feeble attempt to disperse the cloud. Approximately half an hour had passed witnessed by the sun’s position above the horizon line.

Sun and cloud

Sun, cloud and wave

Before I left the beach two hooded plovers scurried across damp sand and came into view. Moody tonal type of imagery is quite hard to chance upon and was a rewarding experience when I had expected bright pink/ orange almost chocolate box-like misty atmosphere.

Hooded plovers

Many artworks including etchings were inspired by forces of nature at Point Roadknight. Some of them are for sale and can be viewed at etsy.com/shop/elainedesterre

At this stage I built up paint layers as an attempt to suggest shallow water on the left side of the composition. However still required is more structure and clarity of focus. Simplification of the colour with more tone might strengthen and give more solidity to the land form. A balancing of the form and the process of its disintegration through erosion needs more attention.

Untitled companion oil and mixed media

Untitled companion to Commission 1

Untitled companion painting, detail

This composition also needs the structure strengthened and more tone to the left. A little more warmth in colour on the left and getting some overly busy areas consolidated are my next stage in the process. The image of the detail is the busy area under scrutiny.